Broken
by Yukishiro Madoka
Summary: [Oneshot] 'Your heart is broken, just as mine is. I want to line the pieces up...yours and mine...' Hinata smiled faintly through her tears, wrapping her arms around him. Broken things were meant to be mended, after all. [SasuHina]


Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Otherwise, Sakura would leave Sasuke alone, and Hinata and Sasuke would get together. 

A/N. Wow. o.o; I haven't even updated my other Sasu/Hina story, and I go off making another one...-sighs- So very sorry! -bows head in shame-

Anyways, this ficcie was inspired by **Broken Things** and my other story **Twilight's Embrace **by **EngimaticArsenic**. :D And the quote **"I want to line the pieces up-yours and mine"** comes from **Kingdom Hearts 2**. -sighs- I love that game...

Okay, I know Sasuke is kinda OOC in the end, but bleargh...xDD Hope you like this ficcie! -pokes review button- Review, please! This is my very first Sasu/Hina one-shot, so tell me if it sucks or is okay! x)

* * *

Hinata Hyuuga had long lost that attraction to Naruto Uzumaki she had long ago. Hinata knew her love toward him would never be returned, so to save herself, she forgot. 

She didn't completely forget. She just _tried_ to forget. But she couldn't. It was too hard.

She tried to trick her heart out of love. But she couldn't. Her love was too deep, too powerful to be forgotten or weakened.

Hinata wanted to change. To change from the shy, timid, weak Hinata to a new Hinata. Someone who didn't stutter and blush frequently. Someone who wasn't weak. Someone…who was perfect. Hinata wanted to be the one everyone liked. The one that everyone knew and respected. Hinata had been looked down upon her entire life, but she wanted to change. She wanted to be looked up to. She wanted to be perfect.

But Hinata was not perfect. Everyone thought she was weak or too shy. And they were right.

Hinata didn't care if everyone hated her. It didn't matter, just as long as Naruto loved her.

But he didn't. Hinata was hurt by this the most.

Becoming Hokage, surpassing everyone, becoming Hokage. That was all he ever thought about. Naruto was blind to her love.

Why?

Why?

The single word always pounded in her head like a mantra. Why could Naruto never realize her feelings for him?

Couldn't he notice the blush in her cheeks whenever he spoke to her?

Couldn't he notice the shyness in her stuttering when she spoke to him?

Couldn't he notice the brief glances she stole at him whenever she could?

Couldn't he notice _anything?_

He couldn't. And this hurt more.

Naruto never loved nor liked Hinata. She just wasn't perfect in his eyes.

But someone else was.

Hinata wanted so badly to tell him ever since her feelings roused from within herself. But she was too shy...too weak.

And when she did stir up enough courage and strength to tell him...it all backfired. And Naruto _still _remained blind to her love for him.

_"Hey, Hinata! Guess what?" Naruto had called her name, running towards her happily._

_"N-N-Naruto..." she had stammered shyly at the same time, poking her fingers together nervously as her milky face flushed with a crimson glow._

_"Uh." Naruto had scratched his head and grinned goofily. "You go first."_

_"I-It's a-a-all right, N-N-Naruto...I-I c-can w-w-ait..." Hinata smiled weakly, hating the way her stammers came out so ridicously._

_"Okay." Naruto's grin grew wider and he threw his arms behind his head in a manner of relaxation. "Hinata, remember that Sakura used to like Sasuke?"_

_"Y-Yes..." Hinata had whispered softly, a bit confused about what about that fact could make Naruto so happy._

_"Well," Naruto had continued smoothly, grinning happily. "Sakura got over him. _And,_" Naruto paused to laugh giddily. "I kinda told her that I liked her..." He didn't notice Hinata's white eyes widening at his words. "And she said she liked me too! Pretty awesome, huh, Hinata?"_

_"O-O-Oh..." Hinata had managed to muster the words, smiling weakly as the color drained from her face. "Y-Yes..." she stammered, her voice barely audible as she trembled slightly._

_"Hee-hee," Naruto had chuckled happily. "Sakura's perfect for me, don't you think, Hinata?"_

_Hinata could only find the strength to nod her head slowly and sadly. Even if she could find the right words, she didn't have the voice to say them._

_Naruto had turned his head suddenly, the blissful grin still pasted upon his face. "Oh! Sakura 's calling me." He turned back to Hinata. "I'll see you later, Hinata!" He ran off quickly._

_Tears had welled up in her eyes, but only when Hinata reached her home did she let them fall._

_**"Sakura's perfect for me, don't you think, Hinata?"**_

The words lingered in her mind ever since that day. She couldn't forget that Naruto chose Sakura over her.

He never liked her. He didn't like Hinata; he liked Sakura. Naruto…would always stay Naruto. And being Naruto Uzumaki meant loving Sakura Haruno, and only Sakura Haruno.

But she supposed he had a reason. Hinata knew deep in her heart Sakura was indeed the perfect one for Naruto. Sakura was beautiful, with her jade green eyes and long, silky hair, as pink as cherry blossoms. Sakura was like a queen compared to Hinata. Hinata only had short, blue hair that couldn't even compare to Sakura's lovely, cotton candy locks, and white, clear eyes that seemed so bleached and blank, like her sorrowful heart.

Sakura was a strong shinobi and was strong-willed at the same time. Hinata was weak inside out.

Hinata couldn't blame Naruto for choosing Sakura. Who wouldn't? Naruto certainly would, and he did.

Hinata was everything Sakura wasn't. And Sakura was everything Hinata wasn't.

Weak and shy. Those were the words everyone thought of Hinata. Naruto probably thought of her as weak and shy too.

Who knew those words of hate and disgust could hurt so much? On that day, Hinata stayed at home, crying in her room, alone. She kept crying until she was sure her eyes couldn't hold any more tears. She had been rejected by Naruto, even if no one did realize it.

He rejected her for Sakura. Was Hinata too weak?

Yes, it was true. Hinata was weak and shy. And no one liked those kind of people.

No one.

Especially not Naruto.

Hinata was too busy thinking of all her bad qualities, she was slowly killing herself. Piece by piece, she was dying mentally.

Why was she killing herself over Naruto? Was he that important? Did she love him that much?

Naruto...was everything. She loved him so much that it hurt to love him, but she still loved him.

Hinata was broken.

Broken things were meant to be thrown away and forgotten.

Broken things couldn't be mended.

* * *

He thought he heard weeping. Was it? He couldn't be sure, yet he was certain. 

Why did it bother him so much?

It didn't sound like a normal sob...

It was more of a sad, desperate call for help.

A heartbroken, sorrowful cry that so resembled his own when he cried after Itachi killed his clan...

He shook his head to clear himself of those thoughts. Whatever it was, he was going to investigate.

Sasuke Uchiha cautiously approached the sniffling and peered over with narrow, piercing black eyes. His eyes narrowed slightly as he recognized the source of the weeping, even if her shaking back was to him. But he could recognize that light brown jacket and short, midnight blue hair anywhere.

Hinata Hyuuga from Team Eight.

He frowned slightly. What could Hinata possibly be crying over?

Sasuke knew she was weak and could be broken down easily, but he still couldn't help feeling a bit troubled by Hinata's soft weeping. Her desperate cry was filled with deep sorrow, a different kind of sorrow, and a painful desperation that had resembled his own when he cried that tragic day.

Sasuke stepped foward absentmindedly, accidently stepping on a twig that protested softly under the pressure of his foot. Hinata immediately whirled around to face him with pearly eyes that were greatly red from crying. Her sniffling had stopped when she heard the noise, but the tears still streamed down her milky face. Sasuke froze, slightly uncomfortable under her gaze.

If he couldn't even hide from Hinata Hyuuga, how could he prepared for the ninja enemies that he would face later on? Or Itachi Uchiha?

"S-S-Saasuke..." Hinata managed to muster, hurriedly wiping her tear-stained cheeks with the sleeve of her jacket. "W-What a-are y-you d-doing h-h-here...?"

Hinata knew she was being pathetic, thinking that she could put back the pieces together so easily. But how could she forget Naruto so easily?

A piece of her had died along with Naruto. He was so real, so true, something that had always been in her reach. But now he had floated away, and a piece of her had gone with him.

She had thought she could hold onto him, but he was gone now. She couldn't anchor herself anymore, and now she was drowning.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "I could ask you the same thing," he responded blankly, frowning slightly.

"O-O-Oh...N-N-Nothing..." Hinata turned away, averting his eyes as she wiped her eyes again quickly, as if somehow doing so would make him believe that she hadn't been crying.

Maybe, Hinata thought sorrowfully, she had to let go. She had always wanted what was best for Naruto, but Sakura was what he wanted, not Hinata.

She had to let go.

She had to.

But letting go was easier said than done.

"You call that nothing? It's obvious you're crying," Sasuke responded coldly, staring stonily into the half-lidded pale eyes that continued to shed silent tears. "You don't need to deny it."

Hinata didn't respond, but she sniffled a bit, staring down at the ground blankly. But already, it was becoming hazy.

Sasuke frowned. Part of him was annoyed that she was crying. She was so weak. When she broke down, why couldn't she mend herself?

He had learned how to do that the hard way.

But the other part of him was disturbed and troubled. As he watched her slightly hunched figure, her hanging head, her tear-streaked face, he couldn't help thinking of himself in his younger years, crying silently to himself, thinking that no one in the world cared and could help mend him.

Hinata wasn't weak, he realized. She was only a fragile thing.

A fragile thing that had been broken.

She was broken.

"What are you crying about?" Sasuke finally asked, his voice a bit more gentle than before.

Hinata sniffled a bit, lifting her head slightly to gaze somberly at him, her glassy eyes blinking rapidly. "N-N-Nothing i-important..." she stammered softly.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, and his lips formed a thin line as he frowned deeply. "Why do you insist on keeping everyone out?" he whispered slowly, thoughtfully. The way she tried to let no one in, the way she tried to keep everyone out...

It reminded him so much of himself.

"I-I'm not..." Hinata seemed surprised, as if he were accusing of her of something she wasn't. Was that what he thought of her? A broken thing that refused to let someone in and put the pieces back together?

Hinata's heart grew cold and sank heavily at the realization.

It was true. She was nothing but weak. A broken thing always clinging onto nothing but memories, hoping against hope that somehow being weak and clinging onto something she could never have could make her whole again. She was weak. She didn't know how to be anything else.

What angered her the most was that deep inside, she had never known because she was too naive. No, she knew all along. She had always known that she was weak, but she never wanted to admit it, even to herself.

Sasuke was right. They were _all_ right. She _was_ weak.

Hinata bit the inside of her lip, feeling more cold tears build up rapidly inside her eyes.

"G-Good-b-bye, S-S-Sasuke..." Hinata managed to muster through her tears. She turned her back on him, feeling his piercing gaze scorch through her back, but she walked quickly away. Hinata wiped away her tears quickly, feeling a mixture of hot anger at herself and cold desperation.

Would this be her life for the years to come?

Crying on and on?

Refusing to let go?

Remaining broken forever?

She was weak...

Weak, weak, weak.

She sniffled a bit, hurriedly wiping her cheeks with the sleeve of her light brown jacket. If only, she thought wistfully, if she weren't so weak. Perhaps Naruto would like her better. Perhaps if she were strong instead of weak, _everyone, _including Naruto, would finally see her in a new light and look up to her.

But she didn't care about what others thought of her. She only wanted Naruto's affections, but his love was for Sakura.

Hinata couldn't compete with Sakura; she was too weak.

Hinata sniffled again, blinking rapidly and furiously as she walked on and on.

A sharp, piercing sound erupted softly from behind, and before Hinata could turn around and identify it, something had shot out at her and grabbed her wrist, stopping her more by surprise and confusion than the force upon her fragile wrist.

"Stop running away." The quiet words left the mouth of the figure behind her, so low that she could barely hear, but Hinata's heart sank with dread as she realized who the voice belonged to.

"S-S-Sasuke..." Hinata turned, shaking slightly. "I-I'm not..." Even through her stutters were soft and shaky, they came out a bit strong.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, frowning. "Stop being so weak. Is that all you can do? Run away?" he demanded in a low voice, almost dangerously low voice.

Hinata felt his words strike her like a block of bricks. She knew she was weak, so why did he have to tell her that himself? Hot anger surged through her body, despite the cold sadness and dismay.

"Running away doesn't do you any good. All it's going to do is cause you more pain. It's just going to make you even weaker."

One by one, Hinata felt the cold slap of each of his harsh, yet true words. Why was he doing this? She knew she was weak. Why did he keep making her hurt herself more?

Hinata continued sobbing silently, trying to block out the repition of his harsh words in her mind, trying to block out all of her emotions, trying to block out the truth.

Why did she have to be like this? Hinata cried on and on. Why did she have to be born into this word as a weak, broken girl? Why?

Why timid? Why unperfect? Why weak? Why...broken?

"W-Why...?" Hinata managed to choke out. She looked hard right into Sasuke's cold, piercing black eyes. "Why can't you understand? I'm weak. All I can do is run away! I'm weak, Sasuke! I'm broken, and I can't heal myself! No one can! I'm sorry if I'm weak, Sasuke, but please...please just let me go."

Hinata couldn't believe that she had spoken back to someone without stuttering, or without feeling nervous or frightened, but she didn't care. All she wanted was for Sasuke to let her go, to allow her to return back to the place where she'd be doomed to be broken for an eternity. She continued sobbing softly, not bothering to wipe her tears, but merely gazing pleadingly into Sasuke's stony eyes.

Sasuke's frown grew deeper as his eyes widened slightly for a split second, before narrowing again. This was the first time Hinata had stood up for herself, without stammering, without a doubt, without any fear. He stared back hard into Hinata's moonstone eyes, greatly misty with tears and hazy from the feelings she tried miserably to hide, yet couldn't.

What could have hurt her so much and broken her fragility?

The sorrow in her eyes wasn't the kind that made one feel utterly weak and useless, but the kind of sadness that left one feeling that they couldn't get back up from falling down so hard. A kind of sadness that announced to the entire world that she was broken, and would never be whole.

Hinata used to so happy, and Sasuke realized that what fed her happiness was the blonde-haired, blue-eyed failure that hoped to be Hokage someday. Naruto Uzumaki.

With a bitter frown, Sasuke recalled the times Hinata smiled whenever she was around Naruto. Not the soft, shy smile everyone was used to seeing upon her, but a truly blissful smile that would enlighten her moonstone eyes.

His mind collided with a mixture of pity and sympathy as he continued looking at the anguish in her half-lidded milky eyes.

She was broken...and no one could heal her.

He hated to see such a beautiful, pure thing in such a desperate state. Looking into her crestfallen orbs made his mind call to different scenes of his horrible past - when he had come home to find his entire clan slaughtered by Itachi; when he had confronted his older brother, broken and sobbing; the cold words his brother had spoken to him: _"Foolish little brother, if you wish to kill me, hate me, detest me, and survive in an unsightly way, run, run and cling to life."_

After that, he too, like Hinata, was broken and incurable. He could do nothing but cry those following days. He had been weak, and still was. No one had helped him build himself up; he had done it by himself, but he was still broken.

He had run. All he could do was run, clinging onto life. Like himself, Hinata could do nothing but run, clinging onto what she could never have.

He didn't want her to go through the same pain, to remain broken for the rest of her life. They were the same, he thought bitterly, being broken by the ones they had loved.

But why? Why couldn't Hinata just let go? He was slightly disgusted and annoyed with Hinata for continuing to cling onto her love for him. But maybe it wasn't Hinata's fault. Maybe it was Naruto's fault.

How could Naruto be so blind to the love of the only one who truly loved him? How could he disregard her pain like that? How could he ignore her _love_ for him like that?

Naruto was like Itachi, he thought scornfully. Itachi had heartlessly killed the Uchiha clan, disregarding the respect and love they held for him. And Naruto had broke Hinata's heart and killed her. Of course, he didn't really kill her, but he was mentally killing her inside, and he didn't even know it...

Sasuke had always felt disregard for Hinata, even though he had respected her existence, but he had never felt any dislike or irritation towards her. Then again, he didn't really care.

But now that Hinata had poured out her heart to him...a broken heart that Naruto had unintentionally shattered...

A broken heart that so resembled his own, which had been broken by Itachi's sins and his clan's death...

How could Naruto break such a fragile, beautiful thing and ignore her pain?

She was lost, he realized. She was lost without the light to her shadow. Naruto had been that light, but he was gone now. Sakura was now his light, and he was hers as well. She was lost and lonely and sad, he thought remorsefully. Like him...

"Please...let me go, Sasuke. Please..." Hinata sobbed softly, feeling the cold tears streak down her cheeks.

Surprisingly and shockingly, Sasuke released her wrist, but he did the opposite of her request. A small gasp of surprise escaped her lips as his rather skinny, yet strong arms wrapped tightly around her small body and drew her closer to him. Hinata's sniffling stopped, but the tears continued streaming down her face as she remained motionless and utterly silent, stunned and dumbfounded by the sudden, unexpected action.

"S-Sasuke...?" she whispered softly, her voice rolling out clearly like a bell across a twilight ocean. She couldn't think of anything else to say, but she couldn't help thinking how warm and soft he was.

"Stop crying." His words left his mouth quietly, not harsh and cold like before, but more gentle and soft.

"Sasuke..." Hinata's confusion and puzzlement faded away to shift into comfort and pleasure, feeling the coldness of sadness gradually fade from her heart. Hinata swallowed her shyness and hesitancy, leaning her head gently against his, feeling the soft blanket of his raven hair brush softly against her own hair.

Sasuke remained silent, questions flooding into his mind as he frowned. Why did he just embrace her, without a doubt, without any hesitation? But more of all...why did it feel..right to hold her like this?

Perhaps it was right.

Perhaps...he wasn't just an avenger. Perhaps, he realized thoughtfully, he wasn't supposed to be an avenger at all. Perhaps he was meant to find Hinata Hyuuga and put the pieces of her broken heart back together...

Sasuke frowned. He wasn't sure about that. He _was_ an avenger. But did that mean he was meant to remain one forever?

No, it didn't matter. Not now.

All he just wanted was to hold Hinata Hyuuga a bit longer. All he wanted was to heal Hinata Hyuuga's broken heart.

And no matter how long it took to completely erase her memories of Naruto and the haunting memories of her past...

He would.

He would put the pieces of her heart back.

He would be her light.

As if he had rehearsed these lines, as if he had meant to say it all along, he whispered softly in Hinata's ear, his once cold eyes losing their icy chill and growing soft and tender.

"Hinata." Her name rolled off his tongue, leaving a sweet flavor that he had never tasted until now. Sasuke closed his eyes and a small smile spread across his face as he gently tightened his light hold on Hinata. "Your heart is broken, just as mine is. I want to line the pieces up - yours and mine..."

Tears swelled in Hinata's eyes, but they weren't cold tears; they were warm. A single drop of tear trickled down her cheek, which dropped soundlessly onto his shoulder, sinking into the blue fabric of his shirt. Hinata smiled faintly through her tears, wrapping her small arms around Sasuke, relishing the warmth of his soft skin.

"Sasuke..."

"...Hinata..."

Broken things were meant to be mended, after all.


End file.
